Media advisory Saturday 5 March 2011 12pm

This information may have been superseded.
For the latest updates, go to our Media Releases.

Issued: midday Saturday 5 March 2011 Media Advisory

Reducing the cordon access

Central City has been organised into four Green Zones on the outer edges of the existing cordon and one Red Zone in the very centre (See attached map [PDF]).

Green Zone cordons 1 and 2 will be reduced tomorrow Sunday 6 March for residents and businesses at 8am.

From 2pm on Sunday Green Zone cordons 1 and 2 will be opened for public access.

Only travel to the opened CBD cordoned area on Sunday if you need to access your property or home. If you don’t need to be there please keep away.

Information Centres will be set up on the corner of Montreal Street and Cambridge Terrace and the corner of Fitzgerald Avenue and Cashel Street (Fitzgerald Arms Tavern).

Information packs with further advice for residents and businesses will be available from the Information Centres and at the cordon entry point.

Water tankers will also be available at these Information Centres.

Green Zones 3 and 4 to the north of the city centre will be opened early to mid next week.

Access to the Red Zone is restricted to emergency services and USAR teams only.

Traffic management will be in place on city streets and drivers are advised to be patient if entering these areas and drive to 30 kph speed limit.

Building classification colour codes

Green Stickered:

Buildings are considered safe to enter and appear to be in much the same structural condition as prior to the earthquake.

Building may need further inspection or repairs.

Building owners are encouraged to obtain a detailed structural assessment of the building as soon as possible and report any unsafe conditions to your council.

Yellow Stickered:

Buildings are considered suitable only for restricted access until repairs are complete. Further use may be possible in parts of the building that have not been damaged.

Entry only for short periods of time.

Red Stickered:

Buildings are considered unsafe to enter.

Detailed Engineering Evaluation required before building can be
used.

Food Hygiene

The Food Safety Authority advises that owners and operators of food
businesses in Green Zones 1 and 2 will need to get a clearance from a
Food Safety Officer before they can open for business. Food Safety
Officers will place a blue sticker on food premises which will give all
the contact details and information needed to get a clearance.

Water update

Water reservoirs passed structural soundness checks and are filling up.

Water restored to 78% of Christchurch households

Power update

95% of homes have power.

14,000 households are still without power.

Welfare Centre
There were 98 people in Pioneer Welfare Centre overnight.

From 7-11 March green organics bins (organic waste only) and red rubbish bins will be collected across the city, even if it is not the usual red bin collection day. If this is your usual yellow bin week, you should put all three bins out.

Human body waste (solids only) can be put in the red bin but must be well wrapped in paper or a plastic bag.

Portable toilet update

1,141 portable toilets have been delivered. A further 60 more will be delivered today and 60 more on Monday.

A total of 4000 chemical toilets have arrived in Christchurch and delivery began on Wednesday, with an estimated 2000 delivered. A further 5000 will arrive from China on Tuesday 8 March.

A further 20,000 chemical toilets have been ordered. These are currently being manufactured at 1000 per day and will be air freighted 8000 at a time.

Please do not put any sanitary items (including disposable nappies or feminine hygiene products) in portable toilets. These should be wrapped and placed in the red bin.

For those without any toilet services, well-wrapped solid waste can be disposed of in the red bin. Liquid waste should not be put in the bin but rather buried on-site.

Silt collection

265,000 tons collected so far.

Roadside silt is expected to be collected by Monday.

Community earthquake briefings

The purpose of the briefings is to give people essential information and
to update people on Christchurch earthquake recovery. Briefing times
and locations below: